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UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com,
UN/ - 07 October 2006 -- Ms.
Obaid was appointed head of UNFPA, effective 1
January 2001. She is the first Saudi Arabian to
be named head of a United Nations agency. From
1998 to 2001, Ms. Obaid was Director, Division
for Before joining UNFPA, Ms. Obaid was Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 1993 to 1998. She was the Chief of the Social Development and Population Division, ESCWA, from 1992 to 1993, and Social Affairs Officer, responsible for the advancement of women, from 1975 to 1992. Working
with governments to establish programmes to
empower women and develop their capacities as
citizens with rights and responsibilities and
working with women’s non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) to advocate for equality
for women have been a central focus of Ms.
Obaid’s work, both at ESCWA and UNFPA.
In
1975, Ms. Obaid established the first women’s
development programme in the In
November 1997, she was a member of the United
Nations Inter-Agency Gender Mission to Ms.
Obaid is the first Saudi Arabian woman to
receive a government scholarship to study at a
university in the Throughout her career, Ms. Obaid has emphasized the importance of development that emerges from the context of each society, thus taking into consideration cultural values and religious beliefs that shape people and affect their actions. As
UNFPA Executive Director, she has introduced a
special focus on culture and religion in the
Fund’s development work, thus linking
universal values of human rights to values of
the human worth promoted by all religions and
found in all cultures. She
has received many awards and honours, including,
award from the General Federation of Arab Women,
in recognition of her outstanding commitment and
service to Arab Women (1985);
New York Wagner School of Public Health, New
York University, for outstanding commitment to
global public service, July 2001; George P.
Younger Award by the Committee of Religious
Non-Governmental Organizations at the United
Nations, for courage in bringing culture and
religion into the United Nations dialogue, May
2002; Honorary Doctor of Laws degree, Mills
College (her Alma Mater), Oakland, California,
for commitment to serving people in developing
countries to achieve basic education, health and
economic opportunities, in May 2002. Other
awards and honours include the Pedro Joaquin
Chamorro Award – highest honour by
Nicaragua’s Parliament, March 2003; Second
Century Award for Excellence in Health Care,
granted by Columbia University, New York, for
leadership in advancing health care for women
around the world and dedication to empowering
women and furthering their reproductive rights
to improve their health, May 2003; Honorary
Doctor of Laws degree, Kwansei Gakuin
University, Osaka, Japan, for contributions to
the advancement of culture, May 2004; the Order
of Dionisio de Herrara for Service to Humanity
for supporting the integration of a full course
on the protection of women victims of domestic
violence in the curriculum of the police academy
in Honduras, May 2005. Ms. Obaid was ranked among the 50 Most Powerful Arab Women by Forbes magazine, December 2004. ~~~~~~ MaximsNews.com, An Independent Voice from the U.N., provides commentary and analysis from leading world figures: King Abdullah II (Jordan), HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein (Jordan), Sir Brian Urquhart, Hans Blix, Amb. Richard Holbrooke, Anwar Ibrahim, Bianca Jagger, Shashi Tharoor, Kerry Kennedy, Ian Williams, Stephen Schlesinger, Sen. Timothy E. Wirth, Marc Morial, Barbara Crossette, Amb. Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), Amb. Pierre Schori (Sweden), Amb. William H. Luers, Mehri Madarshahi, Gloria Feldt, Jeffrey Laurenti, Rodney D. Smith, Rory O'Connor, Genevieve Stamper, Max Stamper and others.
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